*Please note- This site search does not include the Vic. & Tas. BMD's, Lots o' Links & Worth a Look Books
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Now People could once get a job
and no-one sat 'round like a blob;
as progress rolled on,
most jobs are now gone
so how does one earn a few bob?
and no-one sat 'round like a blob;
as progress rolled on,
most jobs are now gone
so how does one earn a few bob?
OLD OCCUPATIONS
Accipitrary
A person who keeps and trains hawks or falcons. Also known as- A Falconer or Hawker in the Middle ages. Accoucheur
A male who assisted in the birthing process (Midwife) Alchemist
A medieval chemist who aimed to purify, mature, and perfect certain objects, such as turning base metals into gold. Almoner
Someone who handed out alms (charity) to the poor and needy Animal Husbandry
Animal Husbandry is a branch of agriculture concerned with the domestication of, care for and breeding of animals such as dogs, cattle, horses, sheep, goats, pigs etc. This is still practiced today http://www.ancient.eu/Animal_Husbandry/ Animal Painter
Someone who paints portraits etc., of Animals Annatto Maker
Someone who worked in the industry of manufacturing dyes Annatto is an orange-yellow colour from the seed coat of the tropical Annatto tree & is used as a natural food colouring today, numbered 160b. Although it is considered to be a safe additive in food, many children have a negative reaction to it. Aproneer
Used to refer to a London shopkeeper & the wearing of an Apron Shops of Old London http://spitalfieldslife.com Archiator
Chief physician; - a term applied, on the continent of Europe, to the first or body physician of princes and to the first physician of some cities. (The free dictionary) |
Back ’as boy
A male kitchen servant from the back of the house or manor. First six servants in a house: housemaid nursemaid, cook, male servant, lady's maid or kitchen maid and another male perhaps a full time butler. From there work became more specialized:steward, full time valet, housekeeper, more lady's maids, governess, parlour maids, laundry maids, scullery maids and from there more male servants. After taxes on male servants became the norm, the more males a home employed, the more socially prestigious it was. Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com |
Back Washer
Was employed to clean the wool in the worsted manufacturing industry Worsted is a type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn and also yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the Englishcounty of Norfolk. (wiki) Badgy Fiddler
An enlisted boy who played the trumpet/bugle in the military ca. 1850-1905. The boy most likely wore a badge and being young, was a nuisance sometimes (fiddling & not keeping still) The Routledge Dictionary of Historical Slang By Eric Partridge |
Bagman
A commercial traveller Bale Breaker Tender
(See Opener Tender) Bal Maiden
A bal maiden, from the Cornish language 'bal' (a mine) and the English maiden. A young or unmarried woman, being a female manual labourer working in the mining industries of Cornwall and the bordering areas of western Devon. Bal maidens worked only on the surface. (wiki) http://www.balmaiden.co.uk/CornwallDevon.htm Banker
Someone who dug trenches and ditches for drainage, banking up the dirt around the edge |
Badgy Fiddler
Bal Maidens
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Banksman / Bankman / Bank manager
An employee in the mining industry, in charge of the cages at the pit head. |
Barber Surgeon
Barber-surgeons were medical practitioners who, unlike many doctors of the time, performed surgery, often on the war wounded. Barber-surgeons would normally learn their trade as an apprentice to a more experienced colleague. Many would have no formal education and were often illiterate. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/broughttolife/people/barber As well as cutting hair & shaving beards, a barber could also perform dentistry and blood letting among other things. Bard
In medieval Gaelic and British culture, a bard was a professional story teller, verse-maker and music composer, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or noble), to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors & to praise the patron's own activities (wiki) Bath Attendant
Bath Attendants include occupations concerned with assisting clients of public bath houses to take Russian, Sauna, Turkish, electric cabinet, sweatbox, or steam baths; providing and stocking towels; and checking money etc. |
Bloodletting
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Baxter
A Baker. It is an Anglo-Saxon and Scottish name, originally from the English occupational surname meaning "baker" (wiki) Bathing Machine Proprietor
Someone who owned and hired changing huts at the seaside http://www.bognor-local-history.co.uk/bathing-machines/ Beadle / Bedel
An officer of the parish whose principle duty was to keep order, also the town crier Beadsman / Bedesman
A pensioner or almsman whose duty it was to pray for his benefactor (as in prayer beads). In Scotland there were public almsmen supported by the king and expected in return to pray for his welfare and that of the state. These men wore long blue gowns with a pewter badge on the right arm, and were nicknamed Blue Gowns. They were privileged to ask alms throughout Scotland & on the king's birthday each bedesman received a new blue gown, a loaf, a bottle of ale, and a leather purse containing a penny for every year of the king's life. On the pewter badge which they wore, were their name and the words 'pass and repass', which authorized them to ask alms. The last beadsman died in Aberdeen in 1988. (wiki) Beam Truckers
(See Trucker) Beaver
Someone who made felt used in hat making. The way of making felts by Robert Hooke, Lecture to the Royal Society, February 1666 The Felt [deleted: mongers] makers buy [all] their wooll from the glovers, who pull it off from their sheepskins It is a shorter & finer wool than that which is shorne [being only that which [deleted: grows between] is pull oft from the Skins of Sheep kild between sheer time and michaelmas and is a soft & bright wooll] and therefore most fitt for their use because wt is shorne is of a longer groth & so has a greater length & discourser [they make use also of fine lambs wool shorne as also of the best Spanish woole & of red wool and goat hair which is call[ed] camels hair] their sheeps wooll they putt into [boyling] chamber ly & water [half water half ly] and suffer it to soak for '/" howre then they pamp it and beat it well to & fro wth the end of a bord or space till they have scowred out all the dirt and grease then they wash it well wth their hands in a river till the wooll becomes very cleane & white [thus they order also all their spanish wool and camels wool] after which they wring it well & lay it forth in some clean place - to dry [their lambs wool they wash only in hott water and sope till they hang very well & thoroughly sco[wered] http://trulyhats.com/1666-hatmaking-process.html |
Baxter
Bathing machine
By Dave - originally posted to Flickr as NORBURY,DERBYSHIRE, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://commons
Beaver
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Beetler
Someone who operates a beetling machine, used in the textile trade for embossing fabric Beetling is a process applied to linen fabrics and to cotton fabrics made to resemble linen to produce a hard, flat surface with high lustre and also to make texture less porous. In this process, the fabric, dampened and wound around an iron cylinder, is passed through a machine in which it is pounded with heavy wooden mallets. (Britannica)
Bloodletter
Physicians & Barbers would perform bloodletting by using leeches for drawing blood, which was said to be a cure for many ailments. Considered one of medicine’s oldest practices, bloodletting is thought to have originated in ancient Egypt. It then spread to Greece, where physicians such as Erasistratus, who lived in the third century B.C., believed that all illnesses stemmed from an overabundance of blood. http://www.history.com/news/a-brief-history-of-bloodletting Bondager
A very old system where a married ploughman (hind) would have a female worker on a farm who was bonded. Her labour would likely pay the rent for the ploughman's (hind's) house. http://thebondagers.com/the-bondage-system |
Breaker Boy
Work in the coal breakers is exceedingly hard and dangerous. Crouched over the chutes, the boys sit hour after hour, picking out the pieces of slate and other refuse from the coal as it rushes past to the washers. From the cramped position they have to assume, most of them become more or less deformed and bent-backed like old men. The coal is hard, and accidents to the hands, such as cuts, broken, or crushed fingers, are common among the boys. Sometimes there is a worse accident: a terrified shriek is heard, and a boy is mangled and torn in the machinery, or disappears in the chute to be picked out later smothered and dead. Clouds of dust fill the breakers and are inhaled by the boys, laying the foundations for asthma and miners' consumption. From- John Spargo’s The Bitter Cry of the Children (1906). http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5571/ Buck Washer
A laundress Buddleboy
A Buddleboy, used and maintained ore-washing vats in lead and tin mining. A Buddle, is a shallow inclined container in which ore is washed. Bumboat Man
A man on a boat with goods, who met ships at anchor to sell to passengers and crew Bummaree A porter or dealer at Billingsgate market in London (wiki) Bumping Machine Operator Various Bumping Machines seems to have been used in different industries, but mainly the felt hat industry. The compressing & felting of a hood/hat, was done on a Bumping Machine. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=MWeht2EeUWQC&p Bumping 'Bumping' was also a term used to refer to the tension of the fabric during the weaving process. In part of the process when the fabric became slack, a bumping sound was then heard when the machine caused the fabric to become taut. Burgomaster The Mayor of a Dutch, Flemish, German, Austrian, or Swiss town Butter Carver Someone who prepared butter to sell, or carved butter moulds. Butter carving (shapes) also became an art form in the last 1800's. Butty Someone who negotiated mining contracts and supplied the labor |
Breaker Boys
Buddle
Carved Butter Mould
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Card Grinder
In the Cotton industry, working on the carding machines, he sets the grinding rollers into position and they are left to grind all day, being checked on. Following the grinding, he sets up the cards, adjusts the parts, fixes what is necessary. Card Stripper
One of the dirtiest jobs in the Cotton Mill. It requires setting the stripping roller in position, so that the cylinder can be cleaned. The roller is taken down (one man each end) and placed on the stripping box. One man gives the roller a few turns, the strips fall into the box and the roller is clean & can be put back into place. They make their rounds, 2-4 times a day, from card to card. Card Tender
Operates the carding machine, in the cotton factory. Chair Bottomer
Someone who made woven cane seats for chairs Cemmer
A person who hand combed yarn before it was woven Charwoman
A cleaning woman Claker
A magician & astrologer Chimney Sweep
A chimney sweep is a worker who clears ash and soot from chimneys Climbing Boy
Chimney sweep's (or Master Sweep) assistant/apprentice, usually a small boy between the ages of 4 and 10, who climbed into small flues to clean. George Brewster https://www.ctsweep.com/blog/top-sweep-stories/child Coal Mines & Children
Children as young as 5 or 6 would work long hours in the coal mines, in dark, cold & extremely uncomfortable conditions. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/victorian See- Trapper Boy, Nipper, Door Boy, Hurrier, Thruster, Getter, Hewer, Breaker Boy Coal Mine Ripper
Rippers have one of the most dangerous & dirtiest jobs, as they take down or 'rip' the roof. Men who remove the rock above the coal seam and set rings (arches) to raise the height of the gate or road as the coal face advances Cocus
Slang for cook Comber Tender Mostly women working about six frames (combs) in the Cotton industry. They creel the combs and Doff the combs at the delivery end when full, also oiling and cleaning the frames. (creel- a rack holding bobbins or spools) Costermonger (Barrow Boy)
A street seller of fruit and vegetables, in London and other British towns. They were ubiquitous in mid-Victorian England, and some are still found in markets. (wiki) Coster Wife Is a female Costermonger or fruit seller Molly Malone Cow Banger A Cowman on a Dairy farm A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English By Eric Partridge https://books.google.com.au/books?id=IAjyQdFwh4UC Coxswain A person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering, a ship or boat helmsman Curer of Smokey Chimneys Generally a Chimney Sweep with his apprentice Climbing Boy. The job was to enter the chimney & remove the obstruction that was causing the smoke. Cutler
Someone who sells, or makes, Cutlery |
Self Stripping Carding Engine
Charwoman
A Chimney Sweep
Child Mine worker
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Disinfector of Railways
To prevent the spread of disease during cholera outbreaks etc., suspicious or unclean passengers were detained, while they & their luggage was disinfected. The usual method was to strip the passenger and give him a cloth to wrap around his loins, his clothes and luggage are then disinfected by steam. The passenger is taken to a bathing shed and a gallon or so of corrosive sublimate is poured over him as he squats on the ground......Any article that would not stand the steaming, were left exposed in the sun for an hour or so. The passenger then receives his clothes etc. back and is considered then to be safe. In India they had a more severe approach, where any article deemed as suspicious, would be boiled for ten minutes in a carbolic acid solution. Articles made with either leather, wood and glue, were soaked in mercury perchloride solution, or washed with a carbolic acid and soft soap solution, which was also used for metallic items. They were left to dry in the sun for one hour or artificially dried if it was raining. Anything that could not be disinfected, was burnt. The medical officer would usually target 3rd class passengers & let 1st & 2nd class go From- Transactions, Volume 19 By Epidemiological Society of London https://books.google.com.au/books?id=rSXICgAAQBAJ&pg=PA191&dq=disinfector Tracks of Change: Railways and Everyday Life in Colonial India By Ritika Prasad https://books.google.com.au/books?id=ZMIDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA75&dq=disinfector
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The attendant, would have some basic knowledge of the human body & common ailments and he must observe the patient's heart rate, pulse, skin colour, perspiration & respiration.
The purpose of an electric bath is to boost the metabolism, improve the circulation & have a relaxing & therapeutic effect on the patient. The session is anywhere from 10-40 minutes
Hydrotherapy and Physiotherapy: For Bath Attendants, Nurses and Biophysical Assistants By Lionel C. E. Calthrop https://books.google.com.au/books?id=qLw3BQAAQBAJ&pg=PA142&dq=electric+bath Emasculator
An emasculator is someone who castrates livestock. |
Estafette
A mounted courier Eyer Someone who punched eyes in needles used for sewing. Also called a Holer A sewing machine needle starts from a coil of high grade carbon steel wire, made two at a time. The wire is straightened and cut to the length of two & is then required to be heated, pressed and cooled. After cooling, points are made using a grinding stone on both ends of the needles, then the needle is ready for stamping. This involves making two flat areas in the middle of the wire where a machine punches the eyes through this flat surface. Before separating the two needles a wire is inserted into the two holes and when the needles are cut the needles remain hanging from the wire. The burrs on the heads are then smoothened and rounded, checked for straightness and made ready for tempering and polishing. The earliest needles were made from Ivory, Bone or Wood http://www.sewingmantra.com/index.php |
Fagetter
Someone who made up sticks into faggots (bundles), to sell for firewood Faker A photographer's assistant who hand coloured photographs before colour film was invented. Falconer
A person who keeps and trains hawks or falcons. Falconry was the ancient sport of hunting small wild game or birds with trained birds of prey. The trained birds of prey were not restricted to falcons - hawks and occasionally eagles were also used. Also known as- Accipitrary Farrier
A Farrier is a Smith who makes & fits horse shoes Ferret Weaver
Ferret is a type of cord or tape, like ribbon & was mostly made from silk threads. Green Ferret was a stationery item & was used to tie up land documents in a bundle (as in red tape for legal). Ferret was also used to edge clothing, like bias binding. A ferret weaver would have operated a loom to weave this cord. Fish Bender
A Fish bender would have been someone whose job it was to bend the metal plate (Fishplate), to be used to bolt railway tracks together with. The word 'Fish' is a derivative of the word ficher, which means to fasten, or fix. To Fish a Mast, or Yard, is to fasten a Piece of Timber, or Plank, (by way of Splinter) to the Mast or Yard, to strengthen it; which Piece or Plank is called a Fish. http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Etymology/En Fixer
Fixes any problems with the machinery in the cotton mill & makes sure that it is working properly, so If his supervisory role is incidental, he is called a Fixer Flusherman
Someone who cleaned or flushed out water mains Joseph William Bazelgette Fulker An old term for a pawnbroker Fuller A worker who cleanses wool through the process of fulling Fulling, also known as tucking or walking, is a step in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth (particularly wool) to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker. (wiki) Funambulist Someone who performs on a tightrope or a slack rope, tightrope walker |
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Ground Officer
Employed by large landed estate to supervise the activities of tenants Guinea Pig
A person employed in an emergency, a stopgap; A Clergyman, Doctor or Vet who charges a Guinea for his services. Also, at the end of the 18th century, 'guinea pig' became the nickname for those who wore hair powder. The Prime Minister, William Pitt the younger, levied taxes on luxury item, tax would be paid on hair powder & later a licence for it was issued at a cost of a guinea. Altered English: Surprising Meanings of Familiar Words By Jeffrey Kacirk & Guinea Pig By Dorothy Yamamoto |
Halbert Carrier
A soldier or halberdier, armed with a halberd, which is a combination spear and battleaxe (a ceremonial officer) A halberd (Swiss voulge) is a two-handed pole weapon used during the 14th and 15th centuries. The halberd consists of an axeblade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft. It always has a hook or thorn on the back side of the axe blade for grappling mounted combatants. The halberd was usually 1.5 to 1.8 metres (5 to 6 feet) long. Headsman An executioner Charles Jean Baptiste Sanson Hewer
See Getter |
By Dnalor 01 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0 at, https://commons
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Hopper Feeder
Carries armfuls of Cotton from the Opener's bin and feeds it into the Hopper, opening and closing the gates/slides of the machine. |
Hurrier
Older children and women were employed as hurriers, pulling and pushing tubs full of coal along roadways from the coal face to the pit-bottom. Hurriers would be harnessed to the tub. Younger children worked in pairs, one as a hurrier, the other as a thruster, but the older children and women worked alone. http://www.mylearning.org/coal-mining |
Hurrier
Pic. from the book- The White Slaves of England (1853) by J Cobden. |
Iron dresser
An Iron dresser, is someone who worked in an iron foundry cleaning cast metal and moulds Ivory Workers
Someone who made combs, boxes, billiard balls, buttons, and piano keys The ivory workers of the middle ages by Cust, Anna Maria Elizabeth; Published 1902 Worth a look Books |
Jongleur
A court attendant or other person such as a traveller who, for hire, recited or sang verses and performed other acts for the entertainment of the audience including that of a conjuror or a juggler. Jongleur is the French word for juggler. Often the Jongleurs role was to assist the Troubadours or Minstrels. http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medieval Journeyman
A journeyman is an individual who has completed an apprenticeship and is fully educated in a trade or craft, but not yet a master. To become a master, a journeyman has to submit a master work piece to a guild for evaluation and be admitted to the guild as a master.(wiki) |
Jongleurs
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Lace Drawer
From five years onward, children were employed at “drawing”, a simple process of drawing out with a needle the threads which joined together the single widths of lace when it came from the machine. Lavender Another term for a washer woman Legerdemainist
A person who practices or performs sleight of hand, a magician Lime Burner A maker of lime for mortar Limner
A limner is an illuminator of manuscripts, or more generally, a painter of ornamental decoration. Linkerboy Someone who carried a link or torch to guide people through city streets at night for a small fee (had to be licensed to trade in early 19th century) Loblolly Boy The loblolly boy was an assistant to the ship's surgeon; an errand boy. One of his jobs was to feed the patients. (wiki) Lum Swooper
A Scottish chimney sweep |
Mangle Assistant/Tender
In the finishing department of the cotton mill. He runs up to 3 mangles at a time, also controls the dry cans or any other machine that the mangle is hooked up to. He regulates the water and starch, also keeping the material straight and the machine clean & oiled. There can be a mangle assistant in the Preparing department, the White or Coloured finishing department. Sometimes called a Calenderer. Mangler
Someone who operates a mangle Mangle Keeper A woman who offered use of the mangle for a fee Mango A slave dealer Mantuamaker Someone who makes mantuas or a dressmaker. A mantua is an article of women's clothing worn in the late 17th century and 18th century. Originally a loose gown, the later mantua was an overgown or robe typically worn overstays, stomacher and a co-ordinating petticoat. The mantua or manteau was a new fashion that arose in the 1680's. Mocado Weaver A weaver of woolen pile cloth called mock or imitation velvet, used for making coats and other clothing. Mountebank A person who sold patent medicines in public places. As this medicine was ineffective, these people deceived their customers. George Taylor Fulford Mudlark A sewer cleaner, riverbank scavenger Joseph William Bazelgette |
A Mangle, used for wringing the water out of clothing after washing
Comtesse de Mailly, 1698. Her mantua has elbow-length cuffed sleeves over the lace-ruffled sleeves of her chemise. The trained skirt is looped back to reveal a petticoat.
Mountebank
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Onion Cleaner
An Onion cleaner would trim off any roots and stems and the excess flakey layers from the outside skin, leaving a smooth onion. Oiler
He is employed in the cotton industry, where there are a considerable amount of machines and he will oil the varies parts of those machines. Fast moving parts need to be oiled frequently, so he would move from machine to machine as required. The sometimes had other duties such as fixing belts, pulleys etc., and if experienced enough, could be promoted to a Fixer. Opener Tender
It is the first essential process in Cotton manufacturing. He opens the bales and can operate 2 or 3 machines, that pull apart the matted sheets. Osier Peeler
A person who removed bark from willow rods or osiers which were used in basket weaving. Usually women and children (also known as withy peelers) Ostiary The literal translation from Latin, is as porter or doorman, originally was a servant or guard posted at the entrance of a building, or Monastry. |
The Opener Tender, opens the
Cotton bales & Starts off the process |
Paintress
A woman employed in the pottery industry to hand paint the finished product Panhandler
Meaning "an act of begging" is attested from 1849, perhaps from notion of arm stuck out like a panhandle, or of one who handles a (beggar's) pan. Pardoner
A medieval preacher delegated to raise money for religious works by soliciting offerings and granting indulgences. Pedascule A schoolmaster Peeler Slang for policeman, constable (bobby, cop). Derived from Sir Robert Peel who was the founder of the police force Picker/Breaker/Intermediate/Finisher Picker Tender Employed in the Cotton industry. To take off (Doff) from one machine & place on another. Can be up to 6 workers to Doff & six to feed, sometime working in pairs. Peruka A wigmaker (See Nob Thatcher) Phrenologist A diviner of a person’s character based on the bumps on a person’s head. Phrenology was a science of character divination, faculty psychology, theory of brain and what the 19th-century phrenologists called "the only true science of mind."Phrenology came from the theories of the idiosyncratic Viennese physician Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828). |
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Quarrel Picker
A glazier: from the small squares in casements, called CARREUX, vulgarly quarrels. (from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, by Francis Grose) Worth a look Books Quarrel: A square of window glass, properly one placed diagonally. Anciently, a diamond shaped pane of glass, hence the cant term- Quarrel picker (glazier). The word was also applied to several articles of a square shape. (from Report and Transactions - The Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Art: Volume 7 January 1, 1875) Worth a look Books Querier As in querying. (See Knuller) Quister Someone who worked as a bleacher Quisters Hey (Dutton, Cheshire), was the enclosure used by a bleacher Qwylwryghte A wheelwright, or wagon wheel mechanic. |
Rack Maiden
A mine-girl that works at a 'rack', and who separates the particles of tin from the finely crushed ore. Rag and bone man
Someone who collects unwanted household items and sells them to merchants. Traditionally this was a task performed on foot, with the scavenged materials (which included rags, bones and various metals) kept in a small bag slung over the shoulder. Some wealthier rag-and-bone men used a cart, sometimes pulled by horse. (wiki) Random Waller
Building random coursed walls. Walls built of large sized, flat-bedded well-shaped stones, not less than 9 inches thick, laid on their natural beds, random rubble walls, random coursed work with the different pieces being built up like a random wall of masonry. Rough or random rubble masonry may be set dry, or it maybe set in mortar; but dry it forms fence walls, retaining walls etc. Ratoner
Nice name for a rat catcher Piers Plowman By William Langland Worth a look Books Rat-catchers would capture rats by hand, often with specially-bred vermin terriers, or with traps. Payment would be high for catching and selling rats to breeders. A rat-catcher's risk of being bitten is high, as is the risk of acquiring a disease from a rat bite. Anecdotal reports suggest that some rat-catchers in Europe would raise rats instead of catching them in order to increase their eventual payment from the town or city they were employed by. (wiki) London Labour and the London Poor: By Henry Mayhew & William Tuckniss- (JACK BLACK) Worth a look Books Renovator
Someone who repaired clothing Ribbon Lapper Tender Mostly women, working 3 frames, they start new laps from the Sliver lapper as the old ones run out and Doff the ball of lap at front. (See Sliver Lapper Tender for more information) Rattlewatch
A early system of policing. A team of men would walk the streets during the night and shake a rattle to warn any offenders that they were near, to avoid confrontation. Policing in Modern Society By Bruce L. Berg Rules of the Rattle Watch. 1610-1664 blog.mailasail.com Roller Coverer
A person who covered the rollers for the spinning & carding machines in a textile mill. Rollers were covered in felt with a leather outer cover, which had to be replaced when worn. Roller coverers cut the cloth in quantities to correct size, before pasting them onto the rollers. Working Lives: The Forgotten Voices of Britain's Post-war Working Class By David Hall Rubbisher (See Rubbler) Rubbler Someone who sorted out the small stones in the quarries The Ugliest House in the World: By Peter Ho Davies Rust Attendant at a Lavatory
Someone who kept an eye on and cleaned, the build up of rust in public toilets. Before Vitreous china (porcelaine) and enclosed plumbing, the rusting of pedestal lavatories & urinals, was a big problem. "Recommendations that vitreous toilets be installed in place of the rusted iron toilets" "The water closet cisterns should be of wood, lined with copper, as iron cisterns stain the bowl with rust." Formation of rust could be rapid, as lead pipes were used. In cases where the metal is unprotected it will soon oxidize or rust. leaden pipes which are fixed upon walls outside, or exposed in any way to dampness, the corrosion of the pipes will be enhanced. As with rust-eaten holes in the soil pipe, or pin-holes existing in poor castings, it was possible for sewer gas to escape. The cleansing of rust or scales had to be kept under control & the plumbing kept an eye on. |
Rules of the Rattle Watch. 1610-64
1. Watchmen to be on duty before bell-ringing,under penalty of 6 stivers. 2. Whoever stays away without sending a substitute, fined 2 guilders. 3. One guilder fine for drunkenness.. 4. 10 stivers fine for sleeping on the post. 5. If any arms are stolen through negligence of the watch, the watch-man will have to pay for the arms & be fined one guilder for the first, 2 guilders for the second & the fine for the third offence to be discretionary with the court. 6. A fine of 2 guilders for going away from the watch & 1 guilder for missing turn. 7. The watch is to call the hour at all corners from 9am until reveille which they received an additional compen-sation of 18 guilders per month Rusty Urinals
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Section Hand
Second Hands are assistants to and directly under the Overseers. They are in charge of a certain sections and supervise the workers. In the spinning department for instance, he is known as the Section hand, actively directing the Doffers. He also fixes any problems with the machinery & makes sure that it is working properly, so If his supervisory role is incidental, he is called a Fixer. Sedgeman A skilled workman who applied sedge, which was used as an early roofing material Sedge: An evergreen marsh plant used to cap waler-reed roofs. It is often scalloped or trimmed with the small knife into an ornamental pattern. Scrubber or Scourer
Could be male or female and is employed at the cotton factory, to continually scrub the floors, as material etc. falls or drops on to the floor, so it is important to always keep the floor very clean. Paid on a time basis. Scavelman
Someone employed to keep the waterways and ditches clear Scavenger In the textile industry, the scavenger, a little boy or girl, crawls occasionally beneath the mule when it is at rest, and cleans the mechanism from superfluous oil, dust and dirt." (See Woolen Billy Piecer) Scribbler Someone employed in a scibbling mill where the wool was roughly carded before spinning In mills that only possessed scribblers (and before 1820 most Welsh cardingmills were really scribbling mills) the wool had to be passed two or three times through the single cylinder scribbler before it could be slubbed ready for spinning. A Scribbling or Slubbing Mill, is used for the preparation of raw fleece etc, for spinning by a coarse form of carding. The Welsh Woollen Industry By John Geraint Jenkins Sexton
A sexton is an officer of a church, congregation, or synagogue charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. Shoe Finder
A person who sells shoe maker’s tools and appliances Ancestry's Concise Genealogical Dictionary By Maurine Harris, Glen Harris Silk Engine Turner Someone who worked in the silk industry, turning the wheel of an automatic silk weaving loom Sliver Lap Tender Mostly Women, the Sliver Lap Tender can run 3 machines at once. Responsible for keeping the ends of sliver up at the back and Doff (take off) the rolls when full. (Sliver lap- cotton slivers combed into a wide strand and wound into a cylindrical roll). (Lap a compressed layer or sheet of cotton) Slob Brick Maker Old slob bricks, were very unshapeable, very thin, and very hard. These bricks were made out of the slob from the 'Slob Lands' or waste lands, muddy soil; especially : reclaimed alluvial land Slubber Doffer (or Doffer Boy) A person who removed the bobbins from the spindles in the cotton mills https://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/childlabor Snobscat Someone who repaired shoes Squatters & Graziers
In Australian history, a squatter was typically a man, either a free settler or ex-convict, who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. A Grazier is a person who rears or fattens cattle or sheep for market. (wiki) Sweeper (in Cotton Mills)
Usually an older man, who will push a broom around for most of the day, then taking the waste to the appropriate section. He has some free time, the work is light, so the pay is small. Swingler Someone who beats flax to remove woody parts Steeple Jacker
Someone who painted flag poles or long poles Step Boy Someone who was employed to help passengers to enter or leave the coach Streaker Someone who prepared the body for burial http://www.nvrpa.org/uploads/Files/published_articles/10 Stripper (See Card Stripper) Stuff Gownsman A junior barrister Sir Redmond Barry |
Thatching with Sedge
Illustration of scavengers and piecers, From Trollope's Michael Armstrong (1840)
Wexford Slobs (Slob lands)
https://ecofactireland.com Steeple jack
Stuff Gownsman
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Thruster
Thrusters would help hurriers by pushing the tubs of coal in the mine, from behind with their hands and the tops of their heads. The tubs and the coal could weigh over 600kg, and would have to be moved through roadways which were often only 60-120cm high.Younger children worked in pairs, one as a hurrier, the other as a thruster http://www.mylearning.org/coal-mining-and-the-victorians |
Thruster
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Ticket Writer
A person who hand wrote or painted the price tickets on goods displayed for sale and painted signs for a window display Ticket-writing and Sign-writing/painting Tixtor A weaver The Countryside Companion By Malcolm Tait, Olive Tayler Tozer Someone who worked in the wool mills employed to tose or tease the cloth The Countryside Companion By Malcolm Tait, Olive Tayler Worth a look Books Trammer A person who works in the mines. Trammers work as assistant miners in all the work a miner does. They load the broken mineral onto shaker or belt conveyors, fill and haul the mine cars, bring in the mine timber and other materials to support and equip the mine workings, serve the mining and transport machines, and work also as auxiliary mine timbermen. Trapper boy
Would opened and shut wooden doors to let air through the tunnels in the mines. They would sit in the dark, with just a small candle & no-one to talk to http://www.designedinstruction.com/learningleads/ Trucker or Floorman
Cotton industry. They do heavy work and are responsible for getting material from one section or room to another. They also put up and take down beams for warpers & can be refered to as Beam Truckers Trenchermaker
A person who made wooden boards or platters for serving food from or cutting & slicing food on The Timber-tree Improved- W. Ellis 1742 Worth a look Books Tucker In
A maid who attended the bedroom and 'tucked in' the bedclothes (sheets, blankets) http://www.avictorian.com/servants_maids.html Turnip Shepherd Sheep (& Cattle) were to be fed on Turnips during the winter months to fatten them up, so the Shepherds would have certain responsibilities as to keeping the sheep contained, slicing the turnips, lambs kept separate etc. https://books.google.com.au/books?id=f6NAAQAA Tweeny A between maid (nickname tweeny, also called hall girl particularly in the United States) is a female junior domestic worker in a large household with many staff. The term between maid came from the fact that her duties were split between the area of responsibilities of the housekeeper, butler and cook; if these individuals did not like one another, the job of the between maid was a very difficult one. A maid who worked “between the stairs” and assisted the cooks and the housemaids. (wiki) |
Wool Mills
Trammer
Trapper Boy
Turnip Slicer for Sheep
A 'Tweeny' servant worked
7 days a week 5am - 10pm |
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